"Haah!!"
Gilan's eyes flew open, and he gasped for breath.
The cold, darkness, and suffocation at the bottom of the lake quietly faded away, but he was still shaken.
Straight ahead, a screen hung on the storeroom wall.
The room was unlit and dim, and the movie was still playing on the screen, though it had reached the closing credits.
The camera looked down at Black Lake from above. Fima lay motionless beside the pier, while white cast credits and subtitles slowly scrolled across the surface of the lake on the other side...
"Special thanks: Cast."
"Lead actress 'Fima Castro,' played by herself."
"Sheriff 'Pierre Aichi,' played courtesy of 'Mr. A.'"
"Friend A, played by 'Mr. Stork.'"
"Friend B, played by 'Miss Sparrow.'"
"Friend C, played by 'Mr. Snowy Owl.'"
"..."
"Special thanks: Crew."
"Director, David Norman."
"Chief Photographer, Klose Melanie."
"Assistant Script Supervisor, Hera Nibal."
"..."
"This film is dedicated to all those who risked their lives pursuing their dreams."
"May you all get what you wished for in the end."
"—'Director' (name unclear)"
The movie's closing credits were accompanied by the same unbearably noisy air-raid siren, making Gilan furrow his brows.
He couldn't help feeling puzzled again.
'Does the air-raid siren mean the movie is over? Then why did it sound so irregularly in Moon-Scorched Village, always starting partway through...?'
'And another thing... Who is "Mr. A," the actor who made a cameo as Sheriff "Pierre Aichi"? Could he be the same actor who played the male character in the little movie Miss Seagull watched at night?'
'But the problem is, this isn't an ordinary movie!'
'Or is "Mr. A" just a shared nickname, like "Anonymous" or "the stars" in my previous life, so that anyone could be "Mr. A"?'
Gilan couldn't figure it out just then, so he had no choice but to set his questions aside for the time being.
Click.
Old Jerry turned on the lights, and the storeroom was instantly illuminated.
"Phew, phew..." Mr. Oystercatcher and the others lay weakly against the sofa, panting. Watching the entire Black Lake had left them physically and mentally exhausted.
Mr. Stork bent over, frowning. He leaned on his Steel-core Cane with his left hand and rubbed his temple with his right.
He'd been injured in the movie, and his head still hurt.
After resting for a while.
"Mr. Snowy Owl, are you all right?" Mr. Stork turned to Gilan and asked in a solemn voice. "I saw you suddenly jump into the lake..."
"I'm fine." Gilan stood up, shook his head, and stretched his limbs. "I wanted to take a look at what was at the bottom of the lake, but it was just pitch-black down there. I didn't find anything."
"That was really dangerous, Mr. Snowy Owl."
Miss Sparrow also rose from the sofa, smoothing the wrinkles in her skirt as she spoke with concern.
"The alchemist in the movie died silently at the bottom of the lake. If the power of the so-called evil god is lurking beneath Black Lake, you'd be in danger!"
"Miss Sparrow is right. Jumping into Black Lake was very dangerous. I don't approve of what you did..."
Mr. Stork walked over to the projector, pressed the switch to turn it off, and sighed.
"Being too eager for quick results is taboo when it comes to 'viewing.' It's better to watch it a few more times. Just remember not to take risks. After all, we only have one life."
"I'll keep that in mind." Gilan nodded. "Sorry. I won't do that again."
Mr. Stork hummed in acknowledgment and said nothing more.
He could understand, really.
After all, Gilan was just a young man who'd fought his way out of the slums. He was driven and courageous, and had a certain amount of strength, but lacked the patience to think things through before acting... The relentless pursuit by the police and the Louis Family must have placed him under tremendous pressure, making him eager to gain the power to protect himself.
There was nothing wrong with that, but Mr. Stork didn't want to see Gilan lose his life because of recklessness.
That would be a loss for the Record Society, too.
"This Mercury Battery has been completely drained."
Mr. Stork picked up the projector's power plug and gathered up the black film reel as he spoke to everyone.
"That's enough 'viewing' for today. Everyone's tired, so get some good rest. We can discuss when to hold our next Movie Day later..."
"We've basically finished exploring the story of Black Lake. If the lake water really does have an effect, we can go back in and drink some when we have time. This film reel will be a valuable treasure. Remember, don't let this slip to anyone."
He gave them a grave warning.
The others understood as well, and nodded in agreement.
*
*
*
Gilan returned to Room "301."
Black Lake was the first movie he'd experienced from beginning to end. The process hadn't exactly been thrilling, but he still felt a little mentally tired.
He took off his fedora, stretched out on the comfortable bed, and let out a long breath.
He'd only meant to rest for a little while, but before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep.
When he woke again, dusk had fallen outside.
Gilan rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. After a moment's silence, he took off his coffee-brown trench coat and tossed it onto the bed with his hat.
Then he stood up, took two steps forward, and moved to an open spot in the room.
'Iridescence.'
He silently called out in his mind, then recalled the contents of the White Cross Body-Forging Technique.
He'd accumulated "35" points of Mystic Energy in the movie Black Lake this time, and wanted to see if he could advance his Body-Forging Technique to the next stage.
Soon, delight spread across his face.
The colorful number "35" in the corner of his vision flickered faintly, as though responding to him.
'It works! Excellent!'
Gilan was about to take out the secret notebook containing the Body-Forging Technique when he froze the next second.
The colorful number "35" suddenly plummeted, jumping erratically until it finally became "5."
Thirty whole points of Mystic Energy had inexplicably been consumed, and he had no idea what had happened. Just as he was wondering about it, an extraordinarily complex and secret piece of information abruptly appeared in his mind, while his body began to react strangely as well.
Crack, crack...
Ka-crack...
Gilan heard the joints in both his legs pop. Hundreds of muscles began contracting and tensing on their own. He groaned and crumpled to the floor, overcome by intense pain.
"Ugh!!" Gilan gritted his teeth and endured the agony, watching as bulges rose beneath his trouser legs, as though dozens of mice were scurrying beneath his muscles. "Agh!!"
His legs trembled as if cramping, then stiffened and straightened. Even his feet arched at a strange angle.
The changes continued for several minutes.
By the time it was over, Gilan was drenched in sweat and his face was flushed.
But he recovered quickly. After taking a deep breath, he climbed to his feet.
'Why does it have to hurt so much every time...'
Gilan stretched his legs and grumbled silently.
'Too bad this time, the improvement to the White Cross Body-Forging Technique wasn't a breakthrough to the next stage. Instead, I learned a hidden "secret technique."'
His eyes gleamed, and a smile appeared on his face.
'A powerful kicking technique developed by Agni Baldwin, former vice commander of the Healing Knights and the greatest of the Four Knights—the Silver Crown Knight: "Bone-Crushing Kick"!'
According to the secret notebook's author, Recorder Espi, Agni had once used this very "Bone-Crushing Kick" to smash apart a fifteen-centimeter-thick solid wrought-iron city gate with a single kick!
Not kick it open, nor kick a hole in it, but smash it to pieces!
The explosive force of that instant must have been terrifying to smash a solid wrought-iron city gate into fragments.
'Of course, I'm still nowhere near that level...'
Gilan bounced lightly on his toes, eager to give it a try.
'But I should still be able to kick with strength beyond that of an ordinary person, right?'